Genoa's fortress-colony at the mouth of the Gulf of La Spezia, bought from the lords of Vezzano (1113 or 1139) and walled in 1161, facing Pisan ambitions in the gulf.
In 1198 the Vezzano lords and their vassals, urged on by Pisa, attacked it and were beaten off.
Who holds it
- Name
- The commune of Genoa (a colony of Genoese settlers)
- Title
- Lord or governing body
- Confidence
- medium
Lord in 1200
The commune of Genoa (a colony of Genoese settlers)
How things stand that morning
On 1 January 1200, lord or governing body: The commune of Genoa (a colony of Genoese settlers).
Walls and castle
Walls and gate tower of 1161; the Genoese castle on the point by San Pietro.
Primary sources for Genoa
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Annals of Genoa, by Caffaro and his continuators, with Ogerio Pane for 1197 to 1219, Ogerio Pane and the other official annalists of Genoa (year by year under the commune's authority; the 1197 to 1219 section by Ogerio Pane). The official record of the commune. Read online
- Annals of Pisa, by Bernardo Maragone, with continuation, Bernardo Maragone (1160s to 1175, continued to 1192). Pisa's official annals stop in 1175 and their continuation in 1192, so there is no Pisan narrative for 1200 itself. Read online
- The register of San Pietro di Silki (11th to 13th centuries). A monastic register of lands, serfs, gifts and lawsuits in the giudicato of Torres (Logudoro), written in the vernacular.
- The Registers of Pope Innocent III for 1199 to 1201, Innocent III and the papal chancery (22 February 1199 to 21 February 1201). The pope's outgoing letters for the year, in his chancery's own copy, touching nearly every realm in the atlas. Read online
- Greek Acts and Documents of the Middle Ages, Sacred and Secular (documents of the 9th to 15th centuries, edited by F. Miklosich and J. Muller, 6 vols (Vienna, 1860 to 1890)). Volume 3 (Acta et diplomata res Graecas Italasque illustrantia, 1865) prints the imperial chrysobulls to Venice, including Alexios III's of November 1198 with its list of the provinces and towns of the Empire where Venetians traded, the best single picture of the imperial provinces as they stood on 1 January 1200, together with the Pisan and Genoese privileges. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.